Embodiments herein relate to the general art of connector links, and to the particular field of coupling links for coupling to one or more chain links. Particular embodiments include coupling links having a body with a central portion that has an aperture passing therethrough, a closed first end that is integral, and a second end that has an opening, and a retaining member in the form of a removable, deformable, or pivotable member that may selectively provide a closure to the opening. Other embodiments include retaining members on both ends of the coupling link.
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1. A connector link having a body, an aperture, a first end, and a second end;
wherein the first end comprises a first opening adapted to allow a portion of a first chain link member to pass therethrough and into the aperture;
wherein the first end further comprises a first retaining member adapted to open to allow the portion of the first chain link member to pass through the first opening and further adapted to form a first closure across the first opening once the portion of the first chain link member has passed through the first opening, thereby coupling the first chain link member to the connector link;
wherein the first retaining member is adapted to receive tension from the coupled first chain link member;
wherein the first retaining member is adapted to increase the strength of the first closure when the coupled first chain link member applies tension thereto; and
wherein the first retaining member comprises a protrusion adapted to facilitate manual opening of the first retaining member.
2. The connector link of
3. The connector link of
4. The connector link of
5. The connector link of
6. The connector link of
7. The connector link of
wherein the second end further comprises a second retaining member adapted to open to allow the portion of the second chain link member to pass through the second opening and further adapted to form a second closure across the second opening once the portion of the second chain link member has passed through the second opening, thereby coupling the second chain link member to the coupling link;
wherein the second retaining member is adapted to receive tension from the coupled second chain link member; and
wherein the second retaining member is adapted to increase the strength of the second closure when the coupled second chain link member applies tension thereto.
8. The connector link of
9. The connector link of
10. The connector link of
11. The connector link of
14. The connector link of
15. The connector link of
16. The connector link of
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The present application is related to U.S. Provisional patent application No. 61/367,339, filed Jul. 23, 2010, entitled “Connector Link Method and Apparatus,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to connector links, and in particular to coupling links for use in coupling to one or more chain links.
C links, clips, and other coupling links are often used to couple to one or more chain links. However, conventional C clips tend to fail under high tension loads because they have an opening that tends to pull apart when tension is applied to the ends of the link. Often, when a latch is used to close a C-link, the tension applied by adjacent links is great enough that it will overcome the latch connection of the latch beam and cause the link to open. Further, the latch beams of conventional C links and snap links tend to protrude outside of the body periphery, thus providing an easy hang-up point or catch for foreign objects to engage, resulting in a premature opening of the latch or a destruction of the latch altogether.
Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent.
The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of disclosed embodiments.
The terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.
For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “NB” or in the form “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, and C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “(A)B” means (B) or (AB) that is, A is an optional element.
The description may use the terms “embodiment” or “embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments, are synonymous.
Embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to a coupling link that may be adapted to couple to one or more links of chain or other binding or coupling components. The coupling link may be quickly and easily coupled to and decoupled from other links without the use of tools, yet it still may withstand greater tension loads than conventional C links without deforming or opening. In various embodiments, the coupling link may include a retaining member (also referred to as a latch member and/or trigger member herein) at one or more ends of an elongated link that is adapted to receive tension from a chain links or other members coupled thereto. In various embodiments, pressure applied to the retaining member and or to the coupling link ends may increase the strength of the coupling link closure. Embodiments of the coupling link also may have a low profile, for instance, with few protruding parts to hang up on adjacent links or machinery, which may allow the coupling link to be used in a variety of low-clearance environments. Further, some low-profile embodiments of the coupling link may help prevent the premature opening of the latch member due to engagement with the surrounding environment.
In general, the coupling links described herein have significantly improved strength as compared to conventional coupling links. In various embodiments, even the largest and strongest conventional C links made from expensive high tensile strength alloy steel that close with a spring-loaded clip tend to fail catastrophically under load. Additionally, conventional C links typically are only a fraction of the strength of the chain links that they connect. By comparison, the coupling links of the present disclosure may withstand loads greater than the links they connect, even when constructed from less expensive and more common materials than comparable C links.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide significant improvements in safety and security compared to the existing state of the art represented by conventional C link couplers, which rely almost entirely on the strength of the particular material used for their construction. In conventional C links, when the load reaches the material's maximum strength, the C link couplers yield and open, resulting in a failure of the connection. By contrast, the connector links described herein may withstand much higher loads without failure because the retaining or latch members may be configured to increase the holding power as the loads upon them increase.
Embodiments of the coupling links disclosed herein may be configured with materials that meet or exceed the strength of the links they are connecting, except in cases where the connecting members are intentionally designed to yield to prevent the chain links themselves from catastrophic failure. Even in embodiments designed to yield at a predetermined load force, the coupling links may yield and stretch to a considerable degree before total failure, providing an additional layer of safety and permitting a wider variety of applications.
In various embodiments, the coupling link may include sufficient clearance between the closed end of the coupling link and the arc traveled by the tip of the retaining member to allow both opposing sides of a chain link to pass between the arc/tip of the retaining member and the closed end of the connector link when the retaining member is in an open position, thus allowing easy decoupling of the chain link from the coupling link.
In the illustrated embodiment, retaining member 116 may be pivotally attached to body portion 102 such that it may pivot relative to aperture 106 and generally across opening 114, thereby opening and closing second end 112. For example, in some embodiments, retaining member 116 may pivot in a generally inward direction relative to aperture 106, such that the tip of retaining member 112 may travel in an arc between the open and closed positions about a pivot point 118. In some embodiments, pivot point 118 may be positioned at various locations on body portion 102, and in various embodiments may be in an upper portion 120 or lower portion 122 of second end 112.
In various embodiments, retaining member 116 may be biased such that it may maintain a closed position unless a force overcomes the bias, thereby pivoting retaining member 116 along an arc relative to opening 114 in body portion 102. In some embodiments, the biasing force may be a spring 124 coupled between an upper portion of the retaining member and body 112. The biasing force may be a bias member such as a flat spring, coil spring, clock spring, magnet, elastomer, or other device that may impart a bias to the retaining member.
In various embodiments, body portion 102 may be generally oblong in shape, wherein aperture 106 may have an aperture height 126 that is less generally than the overall width 128 of body 102, and wherein retaining member 116 is adapted to receive tension from a coupled link when in the closed position. In various embodiments, the height of opening 114 and the aperture height 126 may be greater than the diameter (in the case of a cylindrical body chain) or minimum thickness (of a square or other geometrically configured chain) of a corresponding chain link configured to couple to coupling link 100. In such embodiments, when a chain link is pushed against retaining member 116 and overcomes the bias force, retaining member 116 may pivot relative to aperture 106 and allow the link to pass at least partially into aperture 106. The biased retaining member 116 may then close, thereby coupling the chain link to the coupling link 100 in a secure manner, and thus allowing the chain to impart a tension load on retaining member 116.
Referring to
Referring again to
While body portion 102 may be formed of a variety of materials having various configurations, in various embodiments, body portion 102 may be made out of a stamped, flat steel that can be generally formed into the desired shape (e.g., oblong as illustrated). The improved strength characteristics of coupling link 100 thus may allow for a milder steel or lighter weight material to be used, while still achieving similar tension strength characteristics as would be possible with a solid link or a specially heat treated link. In the example illustrated in
Some embodiments of the coupling link may be double-ended, having retaining members on both ends of the coupling link.
Another specific, non-limiting example of a double-ended coupling link is illustrated in
TABLE 1
Exemplary Chain Link Dimension Functional Relations
DIMENSION
KEY
DIMENSION
FUNCTIONAL
ALLOWABLE
DIMENSION
DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP
TOLERANCE
ØA
MATERIAL
BASELINE-
±(ØA)(.03)
DIAMETER
DRIVING DIM
B
INTERNAL
BASELINE-
±(B)(.03)
WIDTH
DRIVING DIM
C
INTERNAL
BASELINE-
±(C)(.05)
LENGTH
DRIVING DIM
TABLE 2
Exemplary Body Dimension Functional Relations
KEY
DIMENSION FUNCTIONAL
ALLOWABLE
DIMENSION
DIMENSION DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP (NOMINAL)
TOLERANCE
DIMENSION DRIVING FACTOR
ØD2
THRU HOLE DIAMETER
ØD2 = (ØA)(0.6)
+(ØD2)(0.02)
THRU PIN DOUBLE SHEAR
−0.0
STRENGTH
E
THRU HOLE HORIZONTAL EDGE
E = (ØD2)(1.5)
+(E)(0.05)
SHEAR TEAR OUT STRENGTH AND
DISTANCE
−0.0
CONTACT/BEARING
F
THRU HOLE VERTICAL EDGE
F = (ØD2)
+(F)(0.05)
CROSS HOLE TENSILE STRENGTH
DISTANCE
−0.0
G
UPPER TO LOWER THRU HOLE
G = (B)(1.2)
±(H)(0.03)
90° CHAIN LINK AUTO-SLIDE
HORIZONTAL DISTANCE
RELEASE
H
UPPER TO LOWER THRU HOLE
H = (B)(2.4)
±(G)(0.03)
CHAIN LINK CLEARANCE FOR
VERTICAL DISTANCE
INTALLATION AND RELEASE
J
AFT BODY EDGE DISTANCE
J = (B)(1.2)
±(J)(0.05)
SHEAR TEAR OUT STRENGTH
K
UPPER THRU HOLE TO BEND
K = (ØA)(6.0)
±(K)(0.10)
CLEARANCE FOR EXTENSION
LINE DISTANCE
SPRING TO RETURN TRIGGER
L
TOTAL BEND LINE DEFLECTION
L = (ØA)(0.32)
±(L)(0.02)
STANDOFF BUSHING CLEARANCE
M
MATERIAL THICKNESS
F = (ØD2)
±(F)(0.05)
SHEAR, TENSILE AND
CONTACT/BEARING STRENGTH
N
UPPER THRU HOLE TO BODY
N = (ØA)(7.6)
±(N)(0.10)
CLEARANCE FOR TWO
INNER RADIUS DISTANCE
CONNECTING CHAIN LINKS
TABLE 3
Exemplary Latch Member Dimension Functional Relations
KEY
DIMENSION FUNCTIONAL
ALLOWABLE
DIMENSION
DIMENSION DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP (NOMINAL)
TOLERANCE
DIMENSION DRIVING FACTOR
ØN3
BUSHING CUT DIAMETER
ØN3 = (ØA)(0.75)
±(ØN3)(0.02)
CONTACT/BEARING STRENGTH
ØP3
THRU HOLE DIAMETER
ØP3 = (ØA)(0.72)
+(ØP3)(0.01)
STANDOFF BUSHING
−0.0
DIAMETRICAL CLEARANCE
R
THRU HOLE LH-UPPER
R = (ØA1)
±(R)(0.03)
SHEAR TEAR OUT AND
HORIZONTAL EDGE DISTANCE
CONTACT/BEARING STRENGTH
S
THRU HOLE RH HORIZONTAL
S = (ØA1)(0.75)
±(S)(0.03)
ROTATIONAL CLEARANCE AND
EDGE DISTANCE
CONTACT/BEARING STRENGTH
T
THRU HOLE TO RH CLEARANCE
T = (B)(1.16)
±(T)(0.03)
CLEARANCE FOR 90° CHAIN LINK
CUT HORIZONTAL DISTANCE
AUTO-SLIDE RELEASE
ØU
RH CLEARANCE CUT DIAMETER
ØU = (B)(0.80)
±(ØU)(0.03)
CLEARANCE FOR 90° CHAIN LINK
AUTO-SLIDE RELEASE
V
THRU HOLE TO RH CLEARANCE
V = (B)(0.48)
±(V)(0.02)
CLEARANCE FOR 90° CHAIN LINK
CUT VERTICAL DISTANCE
AUTO-SLIDE RELEASE
W
THRU HOLE TO CHAIN LINK
W = (ØA)(1.2)
±(W)(0.5)
CLEARANCE FOR 90° CHAIN LINK
CONTACT CUT VERT DISTANCE
AUTO-SLIDE RELEASE
X
THRU HOLE TO CHAIN LINK
X = (ØX)(1.15)
±(X)(0.02)
DEPTH OF CUT FOR
CONTACT CUT HORIZ DISTANCE
CONTACT/BEARING STRENGTH
Y
THRU HOLE TO LH-LOWER
Y = (B)(0.5)
±(Y)(0.03)
BENDING STRENGTH & 90° CHAIN
HORIZONTAL EDGE DISTANCE
LINK AUTO-SLIDE RELEASE
Z
THRU HOLE TO RH-LOWER
Z = (B)(0.63)
±(Z)(0.03)
CLEARANCE FOR TWO
HORIZONTAL EDGE DISTANCE
CONNECTING CHAIN LINKS
AA
LINK CONTACT CUT TO LH-
AA = (B)(0.30)
±(AA)(0.03)
CLEARANCE FOR 90° CHAIN LINK
LOWER EDGE VERT DISTANCE
AUTO-SLIDE RELEASE
AB
BUSHING CONTACT CUT TO RH-
AB = (ØA1)(0.5)
±(AB)(0.03)
BENDING STRENGTH & 90° CHAIN
UPPER EDGE VERT DISTANCE
LINK AUTO-SLIDE RELEASE
AC
BUSHING CONTACT CUT TO RH-
AC = (B)(0.18)
±(AC)(0.02)
CLEARANCE FOR 90° CHAIN LINK
LOWER EDGE VERT DISTANCE
AUTO-SLIDE RELEASE
R(AD)
LH-LOWER EDGE CORNER
R(AD) = (ØA1)(3)/(B)
±R(AD)(0.05)
CLEARANCE FOR 90° CHAIN LINK
RADIUS
AUTO-SLIDE RELEASE
TABLE 4
Exemplary Bushing/Spacer Dimension Functional Relations
KEY
DIMENSION FUNCTIONAL
ALLOWABLE
DIMENSION
DIMENSION DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP (NOMINAL)
TOLERANCE
DIMENSION DRIVING FACTOR
ØD4
THRU HOLE DIAMETER
ØD4 = (ØA)(0.6)
+(ØD4)(0.02)
THRU PIN/RIVET CLEARANCE
−0.0
ØN4
OUTSIDE DIAMETER
ØN4 = (ØA)(0.75)
+0.0
CONTACT/BEARING STRENGTH
−(ØN4)(.01)
AG
LENGTH
AG = (ØA)(.63)
±(AG)(0.02)
TRIGGER WIDTH CLEARANCE
TABLE 5
Exemplary Pin/Rivet Dimension Functional Relations
KEY
DIMENSION FUNCTIONAL
ALLOWABLE
DIMENSION
DIMENSION DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP (NOMINAL)
TOLERANCE
DIMENSION DRIVING FACTOR
ØD5
SHANK DIAMETER
ØD5 = (ØA)(0.6)
+0.0
THRU PIN/RIVET CLEARANCE
−(ØD5)(0.01)
AH
SHANK WIDTH
AH = (AG) + (2.0)(M)
+(AG)(.05)
CONTACT/BEARING STRENGTH
−0.0
AJ
HEAD WIDTH
AJ = (ØA)(.02)
±(AJ)(0.3)
TENSILE STRENGTH
AK
HEAD DIAMETER
AK = (ØD5)(1.5)
±(AK)(0.3)
CONTACT/BEARING STRENGTH
In some embodiments, particular dimensional ratios between the connector link and the chain link may be advantageous. For instance, it may be appreciated that the longitudinal side-to-side interior length of the chain link may be (B+2*A)=Ć (see, e.g., chain link 710 in
In still other embodiments, the ratio of the internal width B of the chain link (see, e.g.,
Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments in accordance with the present invention may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments in accordance with the present invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Jul 20 2011 | Peerless Chain Company | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Jul 21 2011 | SCOTT, KENTON G | BURNS BROS , INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 029677 | /0095 | |
Sep 09 2011 | BURNS BROS , INC | Peerless Chain Company | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 029677 | /0231 |
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